Heel covering



June 3, 1930.

W. H. NUTT HEEL COVERING Filed Aug. 31, 19 27 Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED S'lAT ES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. NUTT, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OE PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW J'EB-' SEY HEEL covnmne Application filed. August 31, 1927, Serial No. 216,761. Renewed October 1, 1929.

This invention relates to improvements in wood heels and is herein illustrated as embodied in heels of the Louis type although the invention is not necessarily restricted to this particular type of heels.

In United States Letters Patent N0.'1, 718,-

177, granted June 18, 1929, upon application of the present inventor,there is disclosed and claimed a heel of the Louis'type having :1 IO single straight groove extending heightwise of the heel along the middle of the breast face, and a one-piece cover which covers the rear, the sides, and the entire breast surface of the I heel, the opposite end portions of the cover meeting at the middle of the breast and being tucked side-by-side into said groove. To facilitate the fitting of the cover to the .contour of the breast of the heel disclosed in said application (and particularly to I the contour ofthe forwardly projecting upper portion of the said breast where the surface is curved both heightwise and widthwise of the breast) the said breast surface is made to merge gradually into the sides of the heel so that by stretching the cover as'it is being laid it may be made to lie smoothly against all portions of the breast surface.

. It is an object of the present invention to reduce as far as practicablethe necessity of stretching or carefully fitting the end portions of the heel cover as they. are being applied to the breast of the heel.

With this objectin view, one feature of the invention consists in a wood heel'having a straight and relatively narrow groove in its breastextending in a direction crosswise of the breast, the groove being adapted to receive a marginal portion of a heel covering member or marginal portions of separate 0 coverin s, in which latter case the coverings are app ied to portions of the heel breast both above and below the groove. .As herein illustrated, there is formed in the breast of a heel what may conveniently be termed a three-part or Y-Shap'ed groove comprising two straight portions which converge from the breast corners adjacent to the upper or attaching face of the heel to a common point located near the center. of the heel breast and constitute the inclined arms of the Y, each of the portions of the Y-shaped groove just referred to extending in a direction crosswise of the heel breast, and a third straight portion which'extends from said common point downward to the bottom or top-lift-recei ving face of the heel breast and constitutes the stem of the Y. The invention, however, is not to be considered as being limited to a construction in which the groove is Y-shaped or has three parts except where such a construction is specified in the claims.

In another aspect the invention comprises a wood heel having a relatively narrow groove .extending in a direction crosswise of its breast, and a covering for the portion 'of the heel breast below-the groove, said covering having a'margi-nal portion tucked into the groove. In a heel provided in its breast with a three-part or Y-shaped groove, such as that herein illustrated, the. portion of the heel breast below the upper or converging parts of thegroove' is covered by the end portions of a r one-piece cover which extends also around the rear end sides of the heel, while the lateral' margins of the end portions of the coverare tucked into the groove, the lower portions of these margins meeting in the vertical lower part ofthe groove while the upper portlons of the lateral margins at the opposite ends of Y the, cover are received in the respective in: clined or converging parts of the groove. As illustrated, also, the V-shaped upper portion of the heel'breast between the inclined parts. of the groove may be covered with a separatev piece of covering material applied to the heel before the heel is attached to a shoe or this upper portion of the heel breast may be covr ered by means of a flap split from the sole of the shoe and applied to the heel breast after. attachment of the heel. In still another as;

- panying drawings, in which pect, therefore, invention is to be recognized in the provision, in a shoe, of a heel seated against a tread sole and having a relatively narrow groove'extending across the breast of the heel, and a flap split from the sole of the shoe and covering the portion of the heel breast above the groove, the flap having a marginal portion tucked'into the groove.

The invention further consists in features of construction hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims. The invention will be explained with reference to the accom' Figs. 1 and 2 are perspective views of anuncovered wood heel of the Louis type, the, breast surface of which has been provided with a'substantially Y-shaped groove in ac cordance with a feature of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the heel shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as it appears after a cover has been applied to the rear, sides, and

, breast thereof;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe having attached thereto a partially covered heel such as that shown in Fig. 3

tached heel having a Y-shaped groove in its ering this upper portion of the heel breast,

showing also a flap split from the sole of the shoe and shaped to cover the surface between the diverging portions of the groove in the heel, the fiapbeing shown as it appears before being laid against the heel breast;.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the shoe after the sole flap has been laid and its edges have been tucked into the groove in the heel breast, and after a toplift has been applied to the heel; i

Figs. 6 and 7 are cross-sectional views taken, respectively, along the lines VI-VI and VII--V II of Fig.6;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an unatbreast, a covering for the rear, sides, and breast. the edges of which are tucked into said groove, and a separate piece of covering material which has been applied to the surface between the diverging portions of the groove, illustrating particularly the manner of covwhen a sole flap is not to be used Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an uncovered Louis heel of a somewhat different form, showing also a somewhat different arrange ment ofthe groove;

Fig. 10' is a perspective View of an uncovered wood heel of the Louis type showing another shape of groove; and

F ig. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe having attached thereto a Louis heel shaped and grooved as shown in Fig. v10, the reast of the heel being covered partially by the coveringfor the sides and rear of the heel and partially by a short sple flap.

The heel shown in Figs. 1 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings is shaped-like the Louis type heel shown in the copending. application above referred to, the Waist or body portion of the heel being substantially circular or elliptical in cross-section and the breast surface of'the body portion being transversely bottom of the heel and two straight portions 16 (corresponding to the sloping arms of the letter Y) diverging and extending upwardly and outwardly from the point-14 to points in the upper margin of the heel breast near the corners 18 adjacent to the attaching face of the heel. It is to be noted that the sloping portions 16 of the groove G- appear curved in many of the figures due to the peculiar compound curvature of the upper portion. of the heel breast, but when these portions of the groove are viewed squarely from the front of the heel, as in Fig. 3, it will be apparent that they are straight.

For use incovering the above described heel a'cover is cut to such size and shape astoenable it to cover the rear and sides of the heel and, in addition, to coverthat portion of the breast which lies below the point 14 and adj acent to the outer sides of the sloping portions 16 of the groove, sufiicient surplus being provided at the margins of the cover to overlap the seat and toplift faces of the heel and to tuck into the portions 12 and 16 of the grooveG. The cover above referred to constitutes/the main covering for the heel and is indicated at C in Figs. 3 to 8.

In covering the heel the cover C, after being [coated with adhesive, is applied the usual manner to the rear and sides of the heel and then the opposite end portions of the cover are turned inwardly against the breast surface of the heel and the edges of the cover are tucked into the groove G, as clearly indicated at 20 in Figs. 6 and 7, the edges of one end portion of the cover being received in the lower portion 12 and one of the upper or.- tions 16 of the groove, While the edges 0 the opposite end portion of the cover are received in the lower portion 12 of the groove (beside the edge portion which has already been tucked therein) and in the other upper portion '14 of the groove. The upper and lower margins of the coverC are then turned inwardly over the seat and toplift faces of the heel in the usual way. v

If the triangular. portion of the heel breast between the two sloping upper portions 16 of the groove Gris to be covered by a sole flap,

or if it'isto be left uncovered in the finished edge and conceals it from view as well as reshoe, the heel is now ready for attachment. If, however, a piece of covering material other than a sole flap is to be applied to this V-shaped portion of the heel breast this covering operation is'performed before the heelis attached to a shoe. A triangularly shaped iece of covering material, shown at C in ig. 8, after being coated with adhesive, is secured to the said triangular port-ion of the heel breast, the side margins of the covering C being tucked in beside the tucked-in portions of the main cover C. The upper mar gin of this covering C is then turned inwardly and secured to the forward edge portion of the seat face of the heel, as shown at 22 in Fig. 8.

If a sole flap is to be used to cover the upper portion of the heel breast, the heel, after the main cover C has been applied, is attached as shown in Fig. 4 to a shoe S, the sole of which has been split at its heel end to form a breastcovering flap F. The sole flap F is trimmed to fit the triangular uncovered portion of the heel breast and to allow sufiicient surplus for tucking into the upper portions of the groove G, and is coated with adhesive, afterwhich the flap F is laid against the breast and the trimmed margins of the flap are tucked into the upper portions 16 of the groove, as indicated at 24in Fig. 7. The tucked-in margins of the sole flap closely abut the previously tucked-in margins 20 of the main heel cover C. I

By grooving the heel as hereinbefore set forth and covering it with two separate pieces of covering material applied as above described, the coveringfor the rear and sides of the heel may be employed to cover also aproximately the entire lower half of the heel breast and a small portion of the upper half of the heel breast without necessity of unduly stretching the cover in the act of applying it for the purpose of insuring that it will lie smoothly against the breast surface. Furthermore, the opposite end portions of the cover may be firmly secured within. the groove, the end portions meeting at the lower portion of the heelto form a neat as well as a tight 'joint. Furthermore, the Y-shaped groove construction permits the upper portion of the heel breast to be covered by means of a short sole flap which overlies the breast inforcing the joint between the heel and the heel seat of the shoe. Inasmuch as the length of the sole flap need be only a small proportion of the height of the-heel breast it is practicable to cut the soles shorter than would be necessary to provide a sole flap long enough to cover the entire heel breast. Consequently a substantial saving in sole stock may be effected particularly in cases where high heels 'are to be employed. Whether the covering for the upper portion of the heel breast consists of a sole flap or a piece of covering materialseparate from the sole, it may be of a shade or color contrasting with that of the main heel covering, thus producing a pleasing and ornamental effect.

When employing the Y-groove constructionit is not essential to make the waist or lower portion of the groove.

In Fig. 10 there is shown a heel having a groove Gr of still another form. In this instance the upper arm portions or branches of the groove are curved in the form of an arc of a circle, it having been found that this construction is in some ways better adapted for quantityproduction, inasmuch as it may be made mechanically somewhat more easily than the other form of groove. In Fig. 11 a heel having a groove of the form illustrated in Fig. 10 is shown as the heel appears after the main covering has been applied thereto. and after the heel has been attached to a shoe and a substantially segmental flap F split from the sole of the shoe has been applied to the upper portion of the heel breast.

This invention in so far as it is concerned with the application of a one-piece cover to the rear, sides, and breast of a heel is notclaimed broadly herein, this feature being disclosed also and claimed in the Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A heel having in its breast face a threepart groove comprising a portion extending from a point spaced from the top, bottom and sides of the wheel downwardly substantially'to the bottom of the heel breast,'and two portions extending upwardly and out wardly from said point to the upper edge of the heel breast, and a covering for the rear, sides, and breast of the heel having opposite end portions tucked into said groove.

2. A heel having its breast face grooved from a point spaced from the top, bottom and sides of the heel downwardly to the bottom of the heel breast and upwardly and outwardly to separated points near the opposite corners at the top of the heel breast, and a covering extending around the rear and the sides of the heel and having its opposite end portions overlying the breast of the heel secured within the grooves formed in the heel breast.

3. A heel having in its breast face a groove extending from a point spaced from the top,

bottom and sides of the heel downwardly to the bottom of the heel breast and grooves extending from said point upwardly and outwardly to points near the opposite corners at the top of the heel breast, a cover extending around the rear and sides of the heel and having opposite end portions overlying the heel breast with the edges of said end portions tucked into said grooves, and a second cover for the space between the said upwardly and outwardly extending grooves having its lateral ed e portions tucked within said grooves beside the tucked-in edges of the first cover.

4. A heel having in its breast face a Y- shaped groove comprising a portion extending from a point spaced from the top, bottom and sides of the heel downwardly toward the bottom of the heel breast, and two portions diverging upwardly from said point toward the upper edge of the heel breast, and a cover for the rear, sides, and breast of the heel having opposite end portions tucked into said groove.

5. A wooden Louis heel having grooves extending from the opposite corners of the overhanging upper breast portion of the heel converging to a common point in the middle of the heel breast and a groove extending" downwardly from said point to the bottom of the heel, a V-shaped covering for the portion of the breast surface between said converging grooves having its edge portions tucked into said grooves, and a covering for the rear and sides of the heel having the portions of the breast surface not covered by the first cover and having edge portions tucked into the coverging grooves beside the tuckedin edges of the first cover and edge portions tucked into the groove below the converging grooves.

6. In a shoe, in combination, a heel having in its breast face a groove extending from a point spaced from the top, bottom and sides of the heel downwardly to the bottom of the heel breast, and grooves extending upwardly and outwardly from said point to separated points near the opposite corners of the top of the heel breast, a heel cover extending around the rear and sides of the heel and having opposite end portions overlying the heel breast with the edges of said portions tucked in said grooves, and a flap split from the sole of the shoe and covering the space between said upwardly and outwardly extending grooves with the edges of the flap tucked into said grooves. 1

7. As. an article of manufacture, an uncovered wood heel having in its breast a three-part groove comprising a portion extending from a point spaced from the top, bottom and sides of the heel downwardly toward the bottom of the heel breast, and portions extending upwardly and outwardly from said point toward the upper edge of the breast.

8. A Louis heel block having a breast face merging gradually into the opposite side faces of the block, a groove in the breast face of the block extending upwardly from the lower or toplift end of the heel block to a point beneath the forwardly projecting upper portion of the breast face, and a second groove extending from a point near one end of the upper edge of the breast face to a point near the opposite end of said upper edge and communicating at a point intermediate between its ends with the upper end of the first groove.

9. A heel block having in its breast face relatively narrow grooves converging from points in one of the end edges of the breast to a common point spaced from the side edges of the breast.

10. A heel having in its breast face relatively narrow grooves converging from the corner portions of the breast at the seat face end of the heel to a common point spaced from the side edges of the heel breast, and a cover for the rear, side and breast surfaces of the heel having meeting end portions tucked into said groove.

11. A wood heel having a straight and relatively narrow groove in its breast extending in a direction crosswise thereof for receiving marginal portions of separate coverings to be applied to the portions of the heel breast above and below said groove.

12. A wood heel having a forwardly ex tending lip at the upper portion of its breast, and a straight and relatively narrow groove extending in a direction crosswise of the heel breast below the lip.

13. A wood heel having a relatively narrow groove extending in a direction crosswise of its breast, and a covering for the portion of the heel breast below the groove, said covering having a marginal portion tucked into the groove.

14:. A heel having a relatively narrow groove extending in a direction crosswise of its breast, a covering for the portion of the breast below the. groove, and a separate covering for the portion of the breast above the groove, said coverings having marginal portions tucked into said groove.

15. A heel having a forwardly extending lip at the upper portion of its breast, a relatively narrow groove extending across the heel breast below the lip, and a covering for the unlipped portion of the heel breast arranged with its upper marginal portion tucked into the groove.

16. In a shoe, a tread sole, a heel seated against said sole of the shoe and having a relatively narrow groove extending across its breast, and a flap split from the sole of the shoe and covering the portion of the heel breast above the groove, said flap having a marginal portion tucked into the groove.

17. In a shoe, a tread sole, a heel having a forwardly projecting lip at the upper portion of its breast, and a groove extending across the heel breastvbelow the lip, a sole flap covering the 'lipped portion of the heel breast and having a marginal portion tucked into the groove, and a separate covering for the rest of the heel breast having a marginal portion tucked into the groove beside the tucked-in marginal portion of the sole flap.

In testimony whereof I have signed m) name to this specification.

WILLIAM H. NUTT. 

